Bony fish · Perciformes · Acanthuridae

Palette Surgeonfish

Paracanthurus hepatus

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

The palette surgeonfish, also known as the blue tang or regal tang, is a perciform ray-finned fish of the family Acanthuridae. It is the only member of the genus Paracanthurus.

Weight

600 g on average

Size

up to 31 cm

Lifespan

20 years

Diet

Herbivore

Feeds mainly on plants.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Social structure

School

Gathers in coordinated schools, typical of fish.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

OceanHerbivore Diurnal In schools Fish Ocean

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Fun facts

The juveniles hide among the branches of Pocillopora corals and barely leave them; the adults range further and graze in groups across the reef slope.
On each side of the tail base it carries a retractable spine as sharp as a scalpel, which is where the name surgeonfish comes from.
It was first bred in captivity in 2016, after six years of work, to reduce the pressure of the aquarium trade on wild populations.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bony fish)
Habitat & environment: Clear-water coral reefs of the Indo-Pacific, between 2 and 40 m and normally between 10 and 40 m, in areas with current; the juveniles shelter among branching corals
Sexual maturity: Length at first maturity about 14.9 cm

Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paracanthurus_hepatus